So much fun to read everyone's responses! I never really thought about what "cooking" is, and I don't know that it's important to me to have a definition, per se. I prepare a lot of meals without actually heating anything...e.g. yogurt and fresh fruit, salads, sandwiches, plus the preparation of meat and veggies for my husband to grill -- he cooks, but without my prep, that couldn't happen. I like to cook a lot of things from scratch, but I do use supermarket ingredients such as dried pasta, butter, cheese, peanut butter, canned tomatoes, some canned beans, etc. I do buy supermarket bread, rolls and tortillas, but occasionally make homemade bread or focaccia or tortillas. I prefer fresh veggies, but do use some frozen; I cook beans myself and freeze them, but also use the occasional can of black beans. I like to bake - cookies, brownies, bars, muffins, scones, quick breads, the occasional pie or cake. I do make homemade pie crust. We occasionally order pizza, but usually just make it at home. My stand-alone freezer is full to bursting now -- besides a lot of beef, chicken, shrimp, spices, and butter, I've got black beans and garbanzos that I cooked, homemade Cornish pasties, homemade applesauce,and some cheeses. Tonight for the family's dinner, I heated up some of the pasties and applesauce (I'm going out with my book club...yay!). We do use some convenience foods...cereal, bread, Greek yogurt, the occasional frozen dinner, and some Purdue chicken fingers (hey, nobody's perfect!). Some canned soup. Granola bars and fruit cups for the kids' quick lunch box grabs. I didn't always cook this much from scratch -- it's evolved over they years. I used to use more convenience products, but have sort of gotten away from it over time. My mom cooked from scratch a lot, but used convenience products, too. Interesting that someone mentioned just-add-water pancake mix. I don't use that often -- sometimes I mix up the dry part of the pancake recipe, divide in in half, and portion the halves into airtight containers so I can quickly add milk, eggs, and melted butter to make from-scratch whole grain pancakes on a weekday morning. However, I usually keep a box of just-add-water mix in the pantry for those days when we are simply out of eggs or milk. Bon appetit, everyone!

If you have room for her, I'd highly recommend MAC. Once established, she's tough! She's heat and drought resistant. She blooms forever, she takes some shade and she can be trained in multiple ways. I prune mine regularly, and she remains in bounds in a narrow side garden. I grow her kind of like an extra large shrub-tree against a fence and over an arch. You can keep her base narrow and tied to a wall or strong trellis and allow her to fluff over the top of a structure or pergola. Her canes become stiff over time, so early training is best. Give her a few years to take off...then she does! Carol

I don’t have specific advice, but twice in the last year I stayed in historic buildings that were recently restored and converted into hotels. They maintained the fabulous ironwork of their original era, but they were paired with very clean-lined, modern furnishings and lighting, and the juxtaposition was stunning. I think Beverly’s advice to be consistent and have a vision is key. If it were me and I wanted to feature these beautiful railings I’d if at all possible bring in a designer. I’m curious to find out if the railings are a definite style. I saw a bit of French, art nouveau and maybe even a little English arts & crafts. Definitely too delicate for Tuscan. Congratulations on your beautiful new home.

Thanks HelloBlondie. The only bloom photo I took was a second-third day bloom - it’s got that faded yellow color. There are three young buds on the bush now and once they opened up I’ll be able to see the color of a first day bloom (supposed to be more saturated yellow) in order to further confirm Charles Darwin ;)